Turned down biotech EB offer. Now I work at Chipotle and live in my car
Yo.
Made a little post last year when I was a summer analyst at a top healthcare EB. I was debating between staying at the bank vs going to grad school.
I was gonna do some research in comp bio, do an MD or PhD, then go to a biotech HF and then start my own fund.
I'm on a gap year. I turned down the return offer at the EB. I thought I needed time and space to learn Python and math for comp bio.
Turns out I just fucking suck at programming and math. I try to read papers but it goes way over my head. I can't write basic Python scripts.
I've been trying to do it for like 6 months now. But I'm not improving at all. I'm just straight up bad.
I'm debating taking the MCAT but have been pretty much procrastinating it for the past two months.
Right now I'm studying after work and applying to jobs. I've applied to ~200 off-cycle analyst roles, research assistant gigs, and even back office roles in biotech or just finance/accounting. Haven't heard back from anything.
I'm working at Chipotle to save up to move into an apartment. I'm living in my car. I bought it with the summer analyst money.
Gonna keep trying to hustle and network and make it happen, but I should've taken the return offer.
Definitely don't do what I did. Don't try to be a hero if you're not actually smart. IB is a great bargain.
Bro, this is truly some of the saddest stuff I’ve ever read. I’m praying for you big bro.
What's stopping you from using AI to do whatever coding or math you were going to do
Was just about to ask this. I thought applications like Cursor were making knowing python and other coding languages obsolete?
Cursor has horrendous stack architecture. And design paradigms aren't typically strongly opinionated or consistently opinionated, which means things can't scale. And if you make an unscalable pr in prod, you either get canned, or the company accumulates tech debt until it's unmaintainable.
It can functionally grow the scope of sprints, and bots can do some crazy things as generator scripts, but fundamentals are still a hard requirement for financially viable projects.
Hey man, I read your post and it resonated with me. I want to share something I think you need to hear from someone - you're being way too hard on yourself, and you're not cooked.
I'm 31 now, back in IBD recruiting for SA roles after what looked like a completely non-linear path. Non-target school, fought like hell to break into IBD 2018-2020. Then COVID hit my junior year and froze up all SA opportunities. Everything I'd worked toward just... evaporated. I pivoted to tech sales because I needed something for my family (as I was in the Army prior to that and had two kids), then opened my own business, and now I've boomeranged back to IBD recruiting.
When I was in the thick of those transitions, each one felt like a failure or a waste. Like I was falling behind everyone else who had the clean path. But here's what I learned: those "detours" weren't detours at all. They all pieced together into something that makes me uniquely valuable now. The 4 years of military (delaying uni) provided exposure to world-class leaders. The sales experience taught me how to communicate value and build relationships. The entrepreneurship taught me how businesses actually operate beyond the models, and I lived my own RX deal as an operator, while also capital raising.
You worked at a top healthcare EB as a SA. You got the return offer. That means you are smart enough - they don't give those out as participation trophies. What's happening now isn't that you're not smart - it's that you're trying to become someone completely different (computational biologist/PhD) in 6 months while living in your car and working at Chipotle. That's not a fair test of your abilities, that just sounds like the opening trailer to Mission Impossible 11.
Here's the thing about career planning that took me too long to learn: stop trying to use headlights in Georgia to see firepits in California. You had this grand 10-15 year master plan (EB → PhD → biotech HF → own fund), but you can't execute step 4 when you're still figuring out step 1. Just focus on what's directly in front of you right now.
What's in front of you: You need stability, income, and to stop living in your car. The IBD return offer ship has sailed, but your summer analyst experience is still fresh and valuable. Here's what I'd do this week:
The comp bio/PhD path isn't happening right now, and that's okay, I promise. Maybe it happens in 10 years when you've made money in IB and can afford to pivot. Maybe it never happens because you'll realize you love the investment side more. Both are fine.
You're 22-23 years old (?), living in your car but still grinding. That's not "not smart" - that's scrappy as hell, and I for sure respect the f*** out of you. You just need to point that energy in the right direction. The healthcare EB summer analyst experience is your golden ticket back in. Use it before it gets stale (my experiences are 6-7 years old now, so I'm speaking from exp.).
One last thing: All of this - the gap year, the struggle, the Chipotle job - this becomes part of your story. In 5 years, when you're pitching a healthcare company as an associate, the fact that you're not some silver-spoon kid who never struggled will make you better at your job. It just doesn't feel that way right now.
You got this. Stop trying to be a hero with Python. Start being strategic about getting back into the room where you already proved you belong.
Keep us updated!
Not OP but this is incredible advice, I love the way you convey your points and how it’s imbued with empathy, thank you so much for sharing. I definitely got something out of it myself. Cheers!
Wipe your chin
This should be stickied, great advice!
I love the sentiment here. Question for whomever wrote this -- was this at least partially written by AI (e.g., it's not X, it's Y).
Nice message but clearly AI slop
Wishing you all the best bro. Everyone does shit that they sometimes may regret. Just keep at it, heck maybe even ask the EB if you could get the offer back
Why don't you reach out to the EB?
While its too late, typically banks (at least I've seen it in the banks I worked at) let you defer a year if you have a reason to do so and you could have said you planned to continue education.
I am genuinely sorry for you bro 🙏 Don't give up
Are there any senior bankers who surf WSO that are willing to help this guy out? I pray for you man, hope everything works out well
Look at going to Med schools etc in other countries
You already have a top healthcare EB summer analyst experience. That alone proves your ability. Focus on stability first, get a proper living situation, and target roles where your EB experience is immediately relevant like boutique healthcare IB, PE, or corporate development. Network with former colleagues and MDs honestly about your gap year. Drop the MCAT for now and treat programming struggles as a data point, not failure. Your past experience is your ticket back in, so leverage it strategically instead of trying to pivot too fast.
Hey y'all. The EB bridge is burned. That life is over. I'm not gonna go back to finance. I'll have to make the science work. I'm working and learning every day. It's going to be a struggle. The point of this post was just to warn people with the ego and will to make something of their own. If you stare into the abyss too long, it stares back. There's a reason entrepreneurship is so rare. It's damn hard.
There's two levels to it. First the work is hard. But also you're working alone with nobody to tell you what to do, how much to do, and when to quit. You have to make your own rubric, structure, and standards.
IB gives you a roadmap, support, and clear output. Don't take it for granted. That was all I wanted to say.
What about what you're doing is entrepreneurial? How were you planning on making money doing research in comp bio?
MCAT is going to take minimum 8-10 months of just straight studying. My whole family is involved in medicine and my brother is a third year med school student.
Not to sound like a dick, but you don't ge the luxury of saying whether or not you're going to go back to finance. As it stands, you're way more qualified to work in finance then you are in the medical field.
I won't comment on if you're going to be alright in the long run because I have no idea.
Biotech ain’t for the faint of heart and those in it knows it’s very cyclical and not suitable for a long term career for 99% of people. Good luck on your journey and stay away from the graveyard of biotech
del
Fuku thank you for graciously sharing some of your knowledge and gifting us with your profound insights!
You continue to demonstrate that even dim bulbs provide some light … thanks for being you Fuku!
Fuku Fuku :)
Every risk has downside potential. As a gambling personality, which is needed in the HF world, you have to recognize that going into decisions. Learn, go back to school, do better next time.
Whats the best order at chipotle in ur opinion?
Start networking now bc biotech is back my friend. Reach out to ER and IB
You already have a top healthcare EB summer analyst experience. Focus on stability first—secure a proper living situation and income. Target roles where your EB experience is immediately relevant (boutique healthcare IB, PE, or corporate development). Leverage your network honestly about your gap year, drop the MCAT for now, and treat programming struggles as data, not failure. Your past experience is your ticket back—use it strategically.
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